


Romantic Sub-Plot

by ami_ven



Category: Nursery Crimes - Jasper Fforde
Genre: Community: writerverse, F/M, Metafiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-18
Updated: 2014-11-18
Packaged: 2018-02-26 03:11:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2635853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m just trying to come to terms with the fact that I am destined to be the can’t-find-love side character.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Romantic Sub-Plot

**Author's Note:**

> written for LJ community "writerverse" prompts "your lipstick stain" & "neither enemy nor friend" (bonus: metafiction)

Jack Spratt ducked into the break room, for yet another cup of coffee, and sighed at the empty pot. No matter what he did to it, it would taste terrible— police departments never had decent coffee. But, Jack was working a cold case, and he wouldn’t be able to find the vital clue he needed to break the case for another few hours, and several more cups of coffee.

He had just reached for the tin of grounds, when he realized that there was another person in the room. “Mary. Didn’t you go home?”

Mary Mary shrugged. “Technically, yes. But I couldn’t sleep. I thought I might help you with your case…”

“Oh, I can’t solve it for a few more hours,” said Jack. “Is there something I can do for you?”

She shook her head. “No, you shouldn’t get too distracted from your narrative, or that case will stay cold until the next lull in dramatic tension.”

“Try me.”

“When I left, earlier,” said Mary. “Ashley wished me good night. Just.. just that. Nothing else.”

“Ah,” said Jack. 

There had been an incident recently where their alien colleague, Constable Ashley, had lost a large quantity of the bodily fluid in which his species stored their memories— after what had been reported to be a fantastic first date with their own Mary Mary— but in the aftermath, Jack had to admit that he hadn’t really thought of the consequences beyond his own part of the paperwork.

“And that’s fine,” Mary continued. “Really. But I… I’m just trying to come to terms with the fact that I am destined to be the can’t-find-love side character.”

Jack hesitated— he’d been married twice, now, but he still had trouble dealing with women. “Have you ever thought,” he said, slowly, “that you and Ashley might actually be the romantic sub-plot, a classic example of _love conquers all_?”

“I hadn’t,” said Mary. “But then…?”

“It probably won’t be easy,” said Jack. “There’s Ashley’s memory, for a start. And most likely a series of unpredictable yet zany obstacles… but I know you can handle it.”

Mary managed a smile. “That sounds pretty good, actually,” she said. “I might end up upstaging you.”

Jack smiled back. “That’d be all right with me.”

THE END


End file.
